WCHS’ Theater Department’s fall musical, A Funny Thing Happened on The Way to the Forum, is a comedy full of talented leads and complex humor.

The play takes place in Ancient Rome, and is centered around 3 adjacent homes: the House of Senex, the House of Lycus, and the House of Erroneous. Senex, played by junior Ethan Miller, and his wife Domina, played by junior Josie Weinberg, leave their slave Pseudolus in charge of their son Hero while they visit Domina’s ailing mother.

Hero, played by junior Sam Nasar, is in love with a girl who lives in the House of Lycus, a house known for its promiscuous women. The couple’s slave Pseudolus, played by senior Alex Scott, is willing to do anything to attain his freedom from his master Hero, and does so by helping Hero and his love, Philia, played by senior Madeline Statter, get together.

Along the way, many mishaps occur, and the storyline becomes hilariously entangled. Pseudolus spins an intricate web of lies in order for Hero and Philia to be together. The story takes many twists and turns, but Hero and Philia end up together in the end.

While the whole company was strong, there was no shortage of powerful male leads. Talented juniors Sam Nasar, Ethan Miller, Nick Schaap and senior Alex Scott all shined brightly with their incredible voices and stage presence. In addition, sophomore Tate Goldberg’s talent also stood out through his depiction of Hysterium.

Hysterium, is the head slave of the House of Senex, and is tasked with maintaining order. He is a strict, worrisome character who adheres to the rules as much as possible. However, when he discovers Hero and Philia’s relationship, he is as anxious as can be. In his song, “I’m Calm”, Goldberg seamlessly switches from a forcibly calm demeanor to one of complete worry, which is not only funny but extremely impressive.

Senior Madeline Statter’s beautiful voice was a welcome addition to the fast paced male dominated show. Her high pitched, delicate but powerful voice was unique amongst the many male leads.

While the show featured a strong cast as a whole and many amazing individuals, the story was, at times, hard to follow. There were many twists and turns that contributed to the comedy of the play, and it became confusing at certain points where the plot was headed.

The play was also full of sexual innuendos which at times were funny, but at other times induced cringes. The show was written in 1962, so the roles that women played in this show were either prostitutes or mothers. However, junior Areya Campbell-Rosen was cast as a traditionally male character, Lycus, and did a fantastic job with the role.

The theater department did a great job incorporating modern twists into this older story, from casting Campbell-Rosen as a male character to having another character riding around on a hoverboard, and even a few choreographed dabs here and there.